The minute I laid my eyes on this bike, it looked like a souped-up Fat Boy. The aggressive-looking machine comes with a single-seat, stretched fuel tank, small headlamp and a short rear.
Meanwhile, the rear tyre is definitely big, a whopping 240mm. The exposed rear tyre, bronze coloured exhaust pipes with sporty-looking muffler, and not to forget the huge air intake definitely got me and every riding mates of mine excited.
This all-black machine with a blacked-out theme makes this bike a gorgeous HD. It has been some time since I fell in love with an HD design. This is definitely love at first sight. He,he,he.
The ergonomics of this bike is where I have to stretch my hands and legs forward to the handlebars and foot controls.
In the beginning, the sitting position was a bit odd. But after 30 minutes on the highway, I accustomed myself to the bike and loved every minute of it.
This bike is definitely a big no, no to anybody who is shorter than 1.75m. The ergonomics of the bike can be made rider friendlier with changeable handlebars that are easy to remove. How cool is that? I got a strong feeling that taller handlebars will give the rider that feeling that he/she is in better control of the bike.
Meanwhile, the rear panel can be removed easily where gloves and wallet can be stored. The folks at Harley-Davidson did tell me that the cowl behind the rider’s seat can be replaced with a pillion seat.
The pillion rider definitely has to have a very tiny rear end to able to sit on the rear saddle. My guess is it is next to impossible. The bike comes with a small instrument panel that offers basic info such as speed, fuel level, engine revs and trip counter.
No cutting-edge technology features on this bike except the ABS. You won’t get riding modes, traction control, Bluetooth and the rest.
This, 1,868cc machine oozes with so much torque. The Milwaukee-Eight V-twin churns out 160Nm of torque at 3,500 rpm. This bike is comfortable to go the 200kph mark as long as the rider is able to take the wind blast.
This naked bike is able to launch itself from any traffic light with no delay despite its size and weight. On the highway, the clutch and gear operations are flawless. I did not have to use all the five fingers to pull the clutch lever, it is either three or four fingers.
You don’t need the arm workout unlike the older Softails. Don’t be worried when you hear the loud clunk sound when you get into the first gear; the minute you are cruising, the gearing shifting are smooth.
While riding on the highway, the bike is definitely well planted. The suspension system are not the best nor the worst. I would have expected something better for this huge machine.
I hit a few potholes on the back roads of Sepang and they were definitely not pleasant experiences. On straight roads, the ride comfort was decent and complemented by the wide rear tyre.
The suspension on this bike is fitted with an inverted racing-style fork up front keeping the front wheel planted firmly on the tarmac.
Meanwhile, the rear has a monoshock with emulsion technology absorbs the humps and bumps. Every time I twisted the throttle, the FXDR rockets forward with a mission to chew the tarmac.
The acceleration is smooth without any lag. This big boy doesn't need warm-ups to go beyond 100kph. The second gear is good enough to hit the triple-digit speed.
Meanwhile, on corners and bends, I have to make an effort to lean the bike. It is not natural for the bike to lean without the push from the rider due to the wide rear tyre.
Once I got the hang of it, I managed to tame few twisties and corners. The plentiful torque allowed me to throttle in and out of the corners and twisties with ease.
A friend of mine took over the bike from me and from the rear I could see him flicking the bike with ease on the way to Fraser's Hill.
This bike is not designed to tackle technical corners but having said that, you can do it with a little effort and caution.
This 303kg machine comes with Harley-Davidson’s own brakes. Are theese brakes good enough to stop this beast? I did a few runs on this bike doing emergency stops at 120kph and sudden stops while in on corners. The verdict is, the brakes did exceptionally well. No panic moments during any of the tests.
The ABS is equipped with a set of 4-piston callipers and 300mm discs up front and a floating 2-piston calliper and 292mm disc at the rear. I did not have to slam the brake levers but gentle squeeze was good enough to do the job.
The bite at the front wheel was harder than the rear. It would have been better to equip the rear tyre with a 4-piston callipers instead of two for better stopping power.
The RM116,400 FXDR 114 is all about performance. It is fun to ride and exciting. This is definitely one-of-a-kind bad boy two-wheeler coming from Harley-Davidson. You must make a date with this machine.
SPECIFICATIONS
Harley-Davidson FXDR 114
Engine: 1,868cc, four-stroke, 45-degree, pushrod V-twin
Transmission: Six-speed Maximum torque: 160Nm at 3000rpm
Front suspension: 43mm upside-down telescopic fork
Rear suspension: Single shock with adjustable preload
Front braking system: Dual 300mm discs with four-piston callipers, ABS
Rear braking system: Single 292mm disc with twin-piston calliper
Fuel capacity: 16.7 litres
Wet weight: 303kg
Price: RM116,400 (before SST) From now till Oct: Free 12 months installment + 2 years warranty+ 1 year free service
